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☆ Tiny plastic shards found in human testicles, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Human testicles contain microplastics and nanoplastics at levels three times higher than animal testes and human placentas, a new small study found. “They look like little shards, tiny broken bits from very, very old plastics,” said Campen, a regents’ professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Researchers expected to find more plastic shards in the testicles of older men in the study, but that wasn’t the case, Campen said. “In testes, the levels of plastic was three times as much as we saw in placentas,” Campen said. In studies of pregnant mice, researchers have found plastic chemicals in the brain, heart, liver, kidney and lungs of the developing fetus 24 hours after the pregnant mother ingested or breathed in plastic particles.

Persons: ”, Matthew Campen, Campen, ” Campen, “ We’re, Adrienne Bresnahan, Kimberly Wise White, Leonardo Trasande, don’t, Trasande Organizations: CNN, micron, Sciences, University of New, Endocrine Society, Getty, American Chemistry Council, placentas, American Academy of Pediatrics, NYU Langone Health, Natural Resources Defense Council, Invest Locations: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, United States, placentas, Beijing

☆ 16,000 plastic chemicals exist, many of them hazardous and unregulated, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And with new plastic chemicals entering the market all the time, it’s been difficult for regulators and policy makers to determine the scope of the problem. Now, for the first time, researchers have pulled together scientific and regulatory data to develop a database of all known chemicals used in plastic production. It’s a staggering number: 16,000 plastic chemicals, with at least 4,200 of those considered to be “highly hazardous” to human health and the environment, according to the authors. Although grouping would capture about 1,000 of the most toxic chemicals in plastics, Wagner said, that still leaves about 2,600 chemicals that still need to be regulated. Missing hazard dataIn addition to the massive number of toxic chemicals, the report found that detailed hazard information is missing for more than 10,000 of the 16,000 chemicals.

Persons: it’s, It’s, “, ”, Martin Wagner, Wagner, Philip Landrigan, Landrigan, Matt Seaholm, ” Kimberly Wise White, ” Wagner, ” Landrigan, Tasha Stoiber, Stoiber, Jane Houlihan Organizations: CNN, Norwegian University of Science, Technology, Program, Global Public Health, Global, Planetary Health, Boston College, – Monaco, Plastics, Human, Plastics Industry Association, American Chemistry Council, International, United Nations Environment, Global Plastics, Environmental, Healthy Locations: Trondheim, United States

Those heavy lead aprons may be on their way out at the dentist office, depending on where you live. The nation's largest dental association said Thursday it will no longer recommend the use of lead aprons and thyroid collars on patients who are getting dental X-rays. Photos You Should See View All 45 Images“It’s like taking a flight from, let’s say, from Michigan to San Francisco, it gives you the equivalent of one dental X-ray,” Kumar said. True change depends on state dental boards, dentists and patients, Kumar said. It will take advocacy and education to change more minds around the use of the aprons among patients, dentists and policymakers, he said.

Persons: Purnima Kumar, ” Kumar, Kumar, Sanjay Mallya, ”, Mallya, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: American Dental Association, Scientific Affairs, University of California, American Academy of Oral, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: Michigan, San Francisco, California, Los Angeles

☆ A Decongestant in Cold Medicines Doesn’t Work at All, an F.D.A. Panel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Christina Jewett | More About Christina Jewett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Every cold and flu season, millions of Americans reach for these products, some over decades. The decongestant is in at least 250 products that were worth nearly $1.8 billion in sales last year, according to an agency presentation. Among the products: Sudafed Sinus Congestion, Tylenol Cold & Flu Severe, NyQuil Severe Cold & Flu, Theraflu Severe Cold Relief, Mucinex Sinus Max and others. The ingredient has long been considered safe and effective under an old, outdated agency standard, and the F.D.A. The agency also may give the drug companies a grace period to swap ingredients in products, if required.

Persons: Leslie Hendeles, Hendeles, ”, Marcia D, Howard Organizations: Staples, Medicine Cabinet, University of Florida, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, White

☆ Vodafone and Nestlé Created Panels to Avoid ‘Greenwashing’ Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Vodafone Group and Nestlé have set up panels of experts to double check environmental claims before they appear on products and marketing, a move by the multinationals to avoid allegations of so-called greenwashing. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is updating its environmental marketing guidelines and the EU has proposed that businesses need to offer scientific evidence. The panels at Nestlé and Vodafone are examples of how companies are stepping up their due diligence of green claims in response to mounting scrutiny, tighter regulation, shifting consumer preferences and the threat of lawsuits. So far, that hasn’t happened, Mr. Reiter said. The packaged-foods company’s panels are staffed by employees from marketing, regulatory, scientific affairs, sustainability, legal and communications.

Magnitsky sanctions aim to punish those accused of corruption or enabling human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, which is responsible for Magnitsky sanctions, declined to comment. U.S. officials in Brazil and the United States have already begun the process of identifying and investigating specific targets, the source said, with potential punishments ranging from visa blacklists to Global Magnitsky sanctions. It is unclear when or if the United States could sanction specific targets, as the investigations can take a while. Targeting environmental criminals with Global Magnitsky sanctions is unusual but not unprecedented.

☆ How the $36 billion vitamin industry tricked a generation of adults into believing sugary gummies were the ticket to good health
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-07 | by ( Rachel Premack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

But some consumer advocates and doctors worry that those supplements don't have as many benefits as people think. "Our gummy vitamins have been on fire," CEO Matt Farrell told investors in a July earnings call. He said that Hero Nutritionals, founded in 1995, created the first gummy vitamin for the American market. A Perrigo representative said it no longer manufactured gummy vitamins, and it did not respond to further inquiries.) But the doctor had something to admit: He takes a gummy vitamin every day.

Persons: Robert Shmerling's, who's, they're, It's, Shmerling, Chuck Bell, Charlene Elliot, Zers, sassily, you'll, Gummy, Kim Kardashian's Instagram, Matt Farrell, Andrew Stablein, it's, Hollis Johnson, Ingrid Sorensen, Sorensen, Libby Mindarino, Mindarino, Peter Waitzman, I'm, John Troup, Troup, Nutritionals, Jennifer Hodges, Hero, America's, Hodges, Bernd Settnik, Lil, gummies, Perrigo, Olly, SmartyPants, Dwight, University of Calgary's Elliot, Millennials, Gen Zers, Elliot, Lunchables, Courtney Nichols Gould, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, @sugarbearhair, Kylie 🤍, ike, alo, ike J ames Organizations: Harvard Medical School, Consumer, University of Calgary, Brands, Netflix, Big Tech, Walmart, Target, Business, Nutrition Business, . Church, Consumers, Bayer, Companies, New York Times, pharma, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Sweet, Getty, Centers for Disease Control, Perrigo, Church, University of Calgary's Locations: Boston, America, gummy, Atlanta, Ireland, Dwight, Patagonia, osh

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